Article - Independence Day

With Independence Day coming just around the corner, read this article for tips on how to spend this day with your children.

Playtime

It is very important you allow your child lots of time to play, both indoors and outdoors. Playing is the "classroom" your child ever had. Playing allows children to apply what they know, use their knowledge, and interact with others. Limit the amount of technology your child uses to "play." It is important to exercise as much as it is important to learn. 

Article - Expecting?

Are you expecting? Know anyone who is? Read this article to find out what needs your infant will have that you should be preparing for now.

Kindergarten

Will your child be entering kindergarten this coming up school year? Here are some tips to help get him/her ready this summer.

1) Have your child practice writing his/her first and last name using all lower case letters (except for the first letters, of course).

2) Help your child learn and recognize all 52 upper case and lower case letters of the alphabet.

3) Talk about the letter sounds of the letters, especially the ones in his/her name.

4) Practice doing homework. Find a place and time when your child will be completing his/her homework every day and begin practicing the kindergarten skills during that time.  Homework time should not last more than 5-10 minutes.

5) Have your child begin practicing writing the lower case letters.

6) Have your child practice counting to 20.

7) Make sure your child can identify the numbers 0-9.

8) Have your child practice writing the numbers 0-9 correctly.

9) Can your child identify letters, colors, and shapes?

Article - Playing With Your Baby

Now that your baby seems more interactive, read this article to find more activities that your can do with your 6-12 month old.

Summer

As summer approaches, remember you are your child's first teacher. Don't let him/her forget what he/she learned during the school year. Read 30 minutes together every day. Practice math facts every day. Get a workbook for your child to work on every day. Set aside 30 minutes a day for "learning" any way that works for you and your child, even if it means playing an educational game that challenges their current level of education.  Most of all, have fun with your children!

Article - Infant Activities

Do you have an infant and don't know how to "play" with your baby? Read this article for some good tips.

Home Preschool

I am considering changing my preschool classes from twice a week to 5 times a week for $375 per month.  There would be a morning class from 9:00-11:30 and an afternoon class from 12:30-3:00. There would be 4 students in each class.  The classes will need to be completely filled by July 31, 2014 in order for me to be able to do this. If you or anyone you know is interested please contact me at spreadlaughter@yahoo.com.

Article - Gifted Students

Is your child gifted? Read this article to find out what options are available for your child.

Home Day Care

I am considering a home day care program if there is enough interest. I would need four children enrolled by July 31, 2014 in order to begin the home day care program.

The day care program would include some preschool and/or tutoring elements as well. The home day care program would be provided by a certified teacher with an early childhood endorsement and would include a preschool program for $6.00 an hour.

Article - Special Needs

Does your child have special needs? Read this article to read more about what it means for your child to have "special" needs.

Tutoring

If you are interested in tutoring services, please contact me at spreadlaughter@yahoo.com. The summer is a great time to have someone tutor your child. The tutor can help your child learn the things he didn't quiet get the year before and help your child gain the knowledge he/she needs as a foundation for the next grade level.

With the "move on when reading" policy it is so important your 2nd grader can read well by the end of 2nd grade. If your child can't read by the end of 3rd grade he/she will not be promoted to the 4th grade. The tool used to measure their reading skills is the standardized test (AIMS or PARCC or whatever test will be administered). If your child reads well but does not test well, getting a tutor can help your child improve test taking skills as well. Email me if you are interested.

We can meet for tutoring at a public place like a park or a library.

Article - Developing Good Readers

Read this article on tips to help your child become a successful reader.

Common Core

There is a lot of talk (good and bad) about the common core standards. Honestly, as I hear people talk about the negative aspects of common core, all they talk about is the political side of it. I haven't heard one person against common core actually mention one of the standards and give a reason why that standard is so bad. 

As a teacher, it really doesn't matter to me where the standards come from because it has always been the politicians who have been in charge of creating and developing standards, not teachers. Through my 13 years of experience teaching in Arizona, the state standards have changes at least 4 times. 

My job is to teach students and make sure the standards are being taught. What I know is that the Common Core standards raise the bar for students. 

Now, if you were to ask a actual teacher what the positive and negative aspects of common core are, you would get a much better answer. There are 2 that come to my mind. They are not developmentally appropriate and there was no transitional period. The positive is that the standards are more rigorous and hold students to a higher standard of learning. They are designed to help students think, not to merely go through the motions. However, due to that rigorous higher standard, the students are learning a grade level higher than they were before. Now there are students struggling because they went from a 3rd grade classroom learning the old 3rd grade standards to a 4th grade classroom learning standards that are almost equivalent to what used to be taught in 5th grade. So now there is a learning gap between what prior knowledge they should have (the old 4th grade standards/new 3rd grade standards) and what they are now being taught (the new 4th grade standards/the old 5th grade standards). 

There was no smooth transition between the old standards and the new standards. So, if your child is suddenly struggling, don't be surprised. Getting a tutor might be just what your child needs to get back on track.

Article - Important to Read

Read this article for more information on the importance of reading to your children.

Read

It is very important to read daily to your children for 15-20 minutes. There is no age limit.  Begin as young as 3 months and continue until your child no longer lives with you. Let your child predict what will happen in the story. When they are old enough, ask them to tell you about the story. Identify the characters, setting, and plot of the story.

For younger children, talk about the illustrations, point to the words as you read, and let him/her turn the pages. Give your child a chance to "read" the story to you. Once a child is familiar with a book, he/she can retell the story to you by looking at the pages in the book.

As your children begin to read, let them also read to you daily for 10-15 minutes. Sit next to your child so that you can see what he/she is reading. Kindly correct any errors or help him/her sound out words. Help your child use context clues to help him/her understand a word or sound out a word.

Reading aloud is good way to become a better reader. Every child can learn to become a better reader. Allowing your child to read to you for 10-15 minutes and then you read to him/her for 15-20 minutes gives your child a solid 30 minutes of good reading practices.

If time doesn't permit for a 30 minute block of time, this can be spread out throughout the day.

Counting

Every chance you get, count with your children. When you are cooking and measuring 3 cups of flour, count out loud. When you are folding the laundry, count out loud how many towels there are. When reading a counting book, count out loud as you point to each object. Help your child develop that one-to-one correspondence. The more you count, the more your child will glean from you and will develop a foundation for math.